Foods That Fight Stress

Foods That Fight Stress

Work and life stress tend to amplify quickly. We often take comfort in the solace of food. If you're feeling down, indulging thoughtfully in a food that reminds you of the ones you love really can make you feel better. But by the same token, by arming yourself with nutritional information before you indulge (become a label-reader!), you're less likely to overdo it and feel bad after. Of course, it never hurts to keep healthy snack alternatives handy and consume foods that actually make you feel less stressed.

Water

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Drinking more water will boost your energy levels, warding off sluggishness and fatigue. Drinking water will also trim your calorie intake and even help you lose weight.

Drinking Water

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In fact, drinking a glass of water 15 to 30 minutes before every meal has been shown in some studies to help people lose weight.

B Vitamin Foods

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All these foods contain B vitamins. This class of vitamins — which includes B6, B12, and folate — are essential to the production of calming, anxiety-easing, and pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA, and dopamine.

Vitamin C

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When you're feeling stressed, your body produces the hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol could result in brain cell damage. Vitamin C helps prevent this kind of cellular damage while at the same time keeping your immune system strong.

Zinc

“Low levels of zinc have been linked to both anxiety and depression. Since our bodies have no way of storing zinc, it’s important to get some every day,” according to Prevention.com.

Where Can I Find Zinc?

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Zinc is found in a lot of seafood, like crab, oysters, and lobster. It can also be found in cashews and chickpeas. Make some homemade hummus or snack on a bowl of cashews to get your daily does of this mineral.

Lowering Catecholamines

Dark Chocolate

A little dark chocolate a day never hurt anyone, right? Studies have shown that a small amount of dark chocolate can reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol and decrease catecholamines found in highly stressed people, according to WebMD.